We all accept corruption is a cancerous disease eating thevitals of our societal fabric, but almost all of us directly or indirectlyencourage this menace with varying degrees. Only a few years back tagged assecond in the race for bribery Jammu and Kashmir state requires an operationall-out to weed out the corrupt and cure the disease of corruption. Earlier itwas only the public sector and its allied agencies that would breed corruption,boost favouritism but now every section of the society one-way or the otherencourages favours against consideration [graft]. Dishonesty and exploitationare as old as civilization. However, the grade of evenhandedness within asociety depicts the real health of that social order. Religious belief plays acrucial role in containing fraudulence both in individuals and society. By thegrace of God, we are extremely religious or maybe at occasions suffering fromreligiosity, but even then the inoculum of corruption lies and thrives wellwithin the society.
Anyways, without denuding more of deceit lying deep downinto our community, let us look what ails us as individuals and as a societythat compels us to be part of the filthy cesspool of trickery. The faultysystem and rules for delivering services, providing justice andmisinterpretation of law and regulations are two main aspects that encouragethe unscrupulous elements within the system of governance to misuse powers vestedwithin their authority. The misuse is intentional and against consideration,and thus, the cycle of corruption gets completed. The process of corruption andfavouritism is a long chain of political masters, executors, and beneficiaries.Political bigwigs most of the time patronize corruption to secure theirpolitical constituencies. The unethical moles in the system always on prowlexploit the situation to fleece the gullible and shower undue favours tohawkish materialists and shameless career hunters.
Every administrativesetup during the last two decades tried to wane away the people from corruptpractices and process of favouritism. All efforts were made to arrestcorruption, but instead, the menace has turned viral. The social acceptance ofcorruption has made the situation worst! Both the corrupt and the victim feelno shame in carrying out the symbiotic process. Institutions like AntiCorruption Bureau (ACB), State Accountability Commission (SAC) and StateVigilance Commission (SVC) may have been doing their best, but the politicalinterference and moles within the system make their job complicated.
The deliberate incursions in guidelines and long drawn legalbattles at occasions make these organizations infructuous. When mighty andpowerful come under the lens they resort to age-old trick rathertrickery—’rules are for fools’. Thus making the investigations misleading andtrials time-consuming. There are hundreds and thousands of cases of corruption,wrongdoings, graft, favouritism, and nepotism either at the investigative levelor in the trial stage and in most of the cases the accused are nowhere feelingthe heat of accountability instead they enjoy the plum positions and corruptionwith impunity. The reason is either the deterrents against the practice ofwrongdoings are less severe, or the conviction rate is low.
The present administrative dispensation seems to have takenthe menace of corruption and favouritism head-on. The JK Bank episode, deputyMayor saga and the Governor’s recent press conference speak the clear mind ofpresent administration against the exploitation. However, the government’srecent battle cry against corruption will be incomplete unless it acts withoutfavour or ill will. To strengthen theresolve to fight the menacing corruption government should brace its anti-graftteeth and weed out the moles in its system. A robust vigilance mechanism bothat departmental and state level has to be made clear of corrupt elements. Everyaction against evil should be timebound. While pursuing genuine cases,vigorously a foolproof mechanism to avoid victimization of innocent people hasto be in place. Most of the times, the oligarchies of the corrupt to divert theattention of investigating agencies resort to false allegations and frivolouscases against the whistle-blowers. To raise the red flag against the corruptionand nepotism, the government should compile the list of all accused whose casesare under investigation or pending in anti-graft agencies. And in the firstinstance remove them from the essential assignments or postings; put theirtrial on the fast track so that the innocents are saved from any further agonyand the real culprits put in the furnace of speedy trial. Especially thepending cases in the State Vigilance Commission and State AccountabilityCommission should be decided on day to day basis so that the authority of theseinstitutions against corrupt practices and nepotism is not only restored butstrengthened. The necessary amendments in law to restore the credibility ofthese institutions is must as otherwise this whole exercise becomes useless,encouraging the corrupt and their masters to have the last laugh. So, bettercure the disease not treat its symptoms only!